


West of Santa Fe

by My_Coffee_Is_Hot_Chocolate



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Cowboy Jojo, Jack got his dream!, Jomike, M/M, Outlaw Mike, alternate universe - wild west
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21664189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_Coffee_Is_Hot_Chocolate/pseuds/My_Coffee_Is_Hot_Chocolate
Summary: Jojo is a cowbow who wants to get his cattle back and his livelihood. He's kidnapped by said outlaw. It's a interesting position.
Relationships: JoJo/Mike (Newsies)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Gotta Go

Jojo stared out at the vast New Mexico desert. He didn't know why he'd broken off. He didn't know why he was bothering to look for the thief. It was Mike freaking Guzman. No one ever saw him or any cattle he stole twice.

But off he was going. With just a spotted mare and a hat that was about to fall apart. 

He'd been searching for two days now. He hoped Mike wasn't in Nevada, it was hard enough to find water here. 

The mare, an Appaloosa named Suerte, stopped and scraped the ground with her hoof. Jojo patted her neck. "What is it girl? Whatcha see?" He looked around. Then he spotted it. Tracks. Cattle tracks. Too fresh to be another cattle drive. That had to be them.

He spurred Suerte into a canter. He didn't want to gallop yet, he wanted to save some of her energy for a final burst. 

When they caught up to the herd a few miles later, he pulled Suerte up. "Woah girl." He said I a low voice. "We gotta hush, kay?" He urged her into a walk. He stayed as low to her back as safety -and the saddle horn- would allow. He didn't want to be seen. 

It was easy to be lost in the noise of a cattle herd. The mooing and sniffing and the general clatter of hundreds of cows walking was a loud affair. Jojo checked where the sun was. Setting. It'd be another few hours before it was dark enough that they'd stop. He'd just have to blend in until then. 

That turned out to be easy. The one or two people who came around the back every once in a while only looked in on the herd. Never out. A stupid move when you're stealing cattle. Jojo successfully laid low until dark.

But it was the dark and his attempt to get closer that was his undoing. While the cowboys traded songs back and fourth across the herd, a new figure was making his rounds. He rode, what Jojo was pretty sure, a mustang. It was too small for a Quarter horse. And the rider was looking over the herd and away. 

And he spotted Jojo. 

Jojo spurred Suerte into a gallop around the herd. She flew over the ground like she had nothing grounding her. Jojo felt like he may get away until he felt a rope fall over his shoulders. He was yanked out of the saddle, air dragged from his lungs as he hit the ground. He felt something -hopefully just a rib, please let it just be a rib.

He heard whinnies, but he couldn't tell from where. He saw boots enter his vision and someone kneeled down before his vision went black.

Jojo woke to a splash of icey water. He gasped and shivered, causing the pain in his side to flare and he almost passed out again until someone slapped him. "Hey! Wake up!" A female voice said. 

Jojo opened his eyes a bit more to see a girl glaring at him. She was dressed like a miner from the boomtowns. With a grey cap pulled over her long blond hair and blue overalls. And she looked angry. "Who do'ya think you are?! Some kinda sheriff, a hero? Huh? Say something!"

Jojo blinked at her. "... What?" His voice was weak, which he attributed to the pain in his side. Broken rib for sure.

"Buttons, don't you have better things to do?" A different voice, more masculine, said. "I hate to say it, B, but you're gonna scare the guy to death again."

'Buttons' huffed. "Ain't my fault cowboys got no grit." She stormed off, to do what Jojo did not know. But now he was left alone with someone. He didn't dare look up to see who it was. He had a feeling he knew.

"I remember you." The voice said. "You're one of those cowboys, from the Snyder ranch. The one with the Cherokee horse." 

"Appaloosa." Jojo muttered. "They're called Appaloosas now." He tried to take in the room around him, he was pretty sure it was an old lean to and he was tied to a chair. But further detail escaped him.

"What you east folk call 'em don't matter. They were Cherokee horses, an' they always will be." 

Jojo still didn't look up. "I'm not from the east." He mumbled. He was from California. "I'm from Los Angeles. A mission outside of Los Angeles." 

"Ohh, an alter boy, eh? What's a good Spanish boy like you doing out on the Godless prarie?" The man grabbed his face to make him look up.

Jojo glared. "Making a living. What's a man like you doing thinking he can take another man's livelihood?" He spit, tempted to bite his hand. 

The man laughed and dropped his face. "Making my own livelihood. What's your name, alter boy? So I know who to send the letter to."

"Josephino Jorglino de la Guerra." Jojo said as proudly as he could. 

The man laughed again. "From the war? What, you fought in any wars?" He started walking away. "Well, Josephino of the war, welcome to your new home."

Jojo glared harder. He didn't even realize there was a door until it shut.

Jojo looked at his surroundings properly for the first time. With no one in his face, it was easier. There was a tin roof, held up by old fence posts. Newspapers had been stuffed around the window frames, and to the back was a stone wall. His suspicion of a lean to was correct.

The singular window was almost dusted over, giving the room an almost sunset like feel. 

Jojo looked at the chair he was tied to. They'd mercifully not tied his chest. But his legs and arms were bound. He sighed. Stuck. Unless…

He wiggled his leg, trying to get a feel for how loose he could make the rope. He got it loose enough that he could slip his foot out. He started on his other leg and hands. He hoped he could avoid breaking the chair. 

His other leg came loose with a bit more work. His hands, however, remained tightly bound to the chair. Breaking the chair was needed. He started kicking at the chair legs, and they broke amazingly easily. It wouldn't have held up to one of those railroad tychoon men. He fell, effectively shattering the chair and freeing him. He struggled with the ropes on his hands for a moment before getting out of them. He made a mad break for the door.

He was nearly blinded by the sunlight. Canyon walls jutted into the sky, and the sun was right overhead. Jojo took a moment to adjust his eyes. He took in his new surroundings. He spotted the cattle down the river bank. And the horses, including Suerte. He dashed to the corral, grabbing a saddle on the side and trying to climb over. He was grabbed around the middle before he could and thrown to the ground. 

The same girl fron earlier glared down at him. "Whatcha think you're doin' alter boy? Trying to escape?" She picked him up easily and dragged him. "C'mon pretty boy. Back inside with you." 

Jojo kept trying to fight. "Lemme go!!" He shouted. 

The same man as before came to help. "Our little mission boy tried to get away?" He hauled Jojo to his feet. "Such a rebel eh?" 

Jojo stomped on his foot, to which the man dodged. "Ohhh, feisty! C'mon little mustang. Let's get you tied back up." 

Jojo struggled harder. "Stop! Let me go!"

The man tutted. "You are a little mustang, aren't you?" He shoved Jojo back into the lean to. "Have fun. This is gonna be your home now." 

Jojo tried to rush the door, but it was locked from the outside.


	2. Little Mustangs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So... We meet the bois

Jojo looked at his surroundings properly for the first time. With no one in his face, it was easier. There was a tin roof, held up by old fence posts. Newspapers had been stuffed around the window frames, and to the back was a stone wall. His suspicion of a lean to was correct.

The singular window was almost dusted over, giving the room an almost sunset like feel. 

Jojo looked at the chair he was tied to. They'd mercifully not tied his chest. But his legs and arms were bound. He sighed. Stuck. Unless…

He wiggled his leg, trying to get a feel for how loose he could make the rope. He got it loose enough that he could slip his foot out. He started on his other leg and hands. He hoped he could avoid breaking the chair. 

His other leg came loose with a bit more work. His hands, however, remained tightly bound to the chair. Breaking the chair was needed. He started kicking at the chair legs, and they broke amazingly easily. It wouldn't have held up to one of those railroad tychoon men. He fell, effectively shattering the chair and freeing him. He struggled with the ropes on his hands for a moment before getting out of them. He made a mad break for the door.

He was nearly blinded by the sunlight. Canyon walls jutted into the sky, and the sun was right overhead. Jojo took a moment to adjust his eyes. He took in his new surroundings. He spotted the cattle down the river bank. And the horses, including Suerte. He dashed to the corral, grabbing a saddle on the side and trying to climb over. He was grabbed around the middle before he could and thrown to the ground. 

The same girl fron earlier glared down at him. "Whatcha think you're doin' alter boy? Trying to escape?" She picked him up easily and dragged him. "C'mon pretty boy. Back inside with you." 

Jojo kept trying to fight. "Lemme go!!" He shouted. 

The same man as before came to help. "Our little mission boy tried to get away?" He hauled Jojo to his feet. "Such a rebel eh?" 

Jojo stomped on his foot, to which the man dodged. "Ohhh, feisty! C'mon little mustang. Let's get you tied back up." 

Jojo struggled harder. "Stop! Let me go!"

The man tutted. "You are a little mustang, aren't you?" He shoved Jojo back into the lean to. "Have fun. This is gonna be your home now." 

Jojo tried to rush the door, but it was locked from the outside.

Jojo stared at the door. It was dark. He was frustrated and pacing. He'd scrubbed at the window, but the dust was too caked in. He struggled to find something to do. He tried to kick down the walls, the door, anything. 

When the light was almost gone, only a couple beams of moonlight filtering through the dust. He leaned against the door. He cried a little. He was stuck.

But he lifted his head when he heard singing. Someone was singing. Multiple someones. He pressed his ear against the crack in the door. He heard a group singing a song. 

"Fair thee well to princess Laaaanndddinngg staaaggeee, river Mersy fair thee well!" Buttons sang. 

"I am bound for Californ-ayyeeeeee… It's a place that I know right well!" The man from before sang.

"So fair thee well! My own true love! For when I return, united we will be! For the leaving of Liverpool grieves me! But my darling when I think of thee!"

On and on they sang, from drinking song to ballad to war cry. There were maybe five singers, and a dog that howled along. Mostly men. 

What caught Jojo's heart were the love songs. La Llorna, Red is the Rose, sad songs. About love and loss. He wanted to join, but resigned himself to listen.

He fell asleep leaned against the door, despite the cold and his hunger. The exhaustion of the past few days got to him. 

He slept fitfully all night. He was wakened by the door opening and his back slamming into the dirt of the ground. His head bounced off the ground. 

The man leaned over him. "Hey mustang." He teased. "Sleep well?" 

Jojo sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Fuck you." He spits. "Let me go." He stood up, dusting off his shirt and jeans. He looked up at the man again. 

The man smirked and grabbed his arm. "You're a fiesty little thing, aren't you? C'mon baby, let's put you to work." He grabbed his shirt collar and dragged him. Jojo kicked and fought, but damn this guy had a grip of iron.

Jojo was dumped with the horses. "You like horses? You take care of 'em." A few other people were watching on the rail. A short boy with brown hair, a tall blond with a crutch, Buttons, and a bespectacled black boy. 

Jojo sighed. He was in a ring with mustangs. Two wild horses. He'd done this before. He sighed and stayed back from the horses. Two beautiful horses, a blue roan and a chestnut. Two mares. 

He gave them space. He looked at the people gathered around. "Anybody got an apple?" He asked dryly. 

Buttons chucked a Granny Smith at his head, which Jojo caught. He approached the roan, holding the apple flat in his hand. The roan approached curiously. She nibbled the apple before taking it and eating it. 

He smiled and gently patted her neck. "Hey good girl. You're so good, you know? You're so beautiful, eh? A beautiful girl." He pet down her neck and her back. The roan watched him and skittered away. 

Jojo didn't mind. "It's okay. You can get away." He said softly. A carrot was rolled to him, and Jojo took it and snapped it in half. He offered half to the roan again. "How about a carrot, eh girl?" He asked. The roan looked curious and approached. 

Someone shouted. "DAMN WE GOT A HORSE WHISPERER!!"

The roan spooked and charged. Jojo made a mad break for the rail and scrambled up and over. He landed on his feet, glaring at all of them to see who had yelled. The short brown haired boy looked embarrassed. “Sorry…”

Buttons whacked his arm. “Nice going jackass.” She hissed. The boy with the crutch whacked his shin as well. 

The boy looked indignant. “Hey, just ‘cause my name is Jack doesn’t mean you can call me a donkey! I’m at least a pony!” He said, trying to prim himself up.

“Yeah, and yet everybody calls me Crutchie.” ‘Crutchie’ pointed out. “We can call you Jackass. Now you have to go in there. That’s the rule.”

Jack looked at the man -who’s name Jojo still did not know, and it was pissing him off. “Mike, save me. Please.” 

Jojo stared at Mike. Mike Guzman. The fucking bandit. He stared at him. He just couldn't believe it. It made sense, but he kinda expected… Someone taller. And less hot. And his dumb brain said stuff. "I thought you'd be taller." 

Mike looked over and laughed. "You what?!" He howled with laughter, as did the others. It took a while for them all to calm down. "You think I'm short, alter boy?" He clapped Jojo's shoulder. "You're hilarious, you really are."

Jojo stared. They… They were laughing? What? He wasn't dead?

Jack slung his arm around his shoulder. "C'mon mustang, let's get you get you a hot meal. Tame you, eh?" His cheeky smile almost made Jojo okay with him using that nickname. 

He was dragged to a tent and sat down at the bench and table. He was slid a bowl of hot something, and a spoon. Quickly, the rest of the people settled down to eat as well. Jojo looked around in surprise. How had this happened? Why were they accepting him? 

He tried not to think about it too hard. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> Yo, it's Jack! @sure-is-exciting on Tumblr! Chapters and headcanons are posted there to!


End file.
